


New Memories

by HeadOfSpectre



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Unova, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 17:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11605623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadOfSpectre/pseuds/HeadOfSpectre
Summary: Two friends embark on a trip to Unova.





	New Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Part of an art trade with a good friend! They asked for a nice story about their OC and another friends OC going on a vacation to Unova and having a good time platonically. So I wrote something that made me smile.

            The Aether Labs were no less busy than usual. Faba surveyed his employees as if he was still Branch Chief, while he left the lunch room to return to what had become his new office since his demotion. A few employees moved a sick pokemon to quarantine for an experimental cure for a disease afflicting it.

Doctor Ricardo Carillo kept himself occupied, taking notes on a recent biology experiment, chewing a handful of M&M’s as he focused. He caught sight of a security camera overhead, and tipped it a smile and a brief wave, hoping that the girl he knew was monitoring the cameras would see it. He liked to imagine her waving back.

    “Attention all Aether Personnel.” A voice said over the intercom, demanding the attention of those who were hard at work, as well as those who were not.

            The voice belonged to Wicke, naturally. She handled most announcements, since Faba’s demotion, and her cheerful tone was a welcome change to Faba’s drab monotone laced with the occasional insult. 

    “As many of you have been anticipating, the results of this years annual employee lottery are in!” Wicke said, “We have the top three prize winners right here, but first I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who purchased or earned a lottery ticket during the past year! You’ve all done such amazing work, and you really should be proud of yourselves! We’ve had a turbulent year, but you’ve held steadfast and continued to make the Aether Foundation such a wonderful place for people and Pokemon! Now, I’m going to pass this over to our new young President Gladion!”

            A few of the people in the lab had stopped working and applauded at that, although few would hear them. Rico himself had looked up out of curiosity. Since Mohn had enacted the lottery about a decade back, Rico had only ever once won third place, which wasn’t bad in and of itself. He’d participated every year, though.

    “Thank you, Wicke.” Gladion said, he sounded a little uneasy being on the intercom, but quickly found his bearings.

    “Um… well, right. Third place was a fifty dollar gift card to the Tapu’s Inferno Steakhouse, on Akala Island. That one goes to our loyal accountant, Jazz.”

            Predictably, there was screaming from higher up in the VLFS, from a very excited bird. Nobody questioned the fact that a Chatot handled the accounting for Aether Paradise. Nobody said anything about the many violent attacks carried out by their accountant either. Presumably since talking about either of those things would lead to being violently attacked.

     “Congratulations Jazz.” Gladion said, sounding just a little unenthusiastic about allowing their accountant out in public without human supervision, or for that matter a muzzle.

   “So, onto second prize. A laptop computer. That goes to… Zenith Clay.” He sounded a little bit relaxed to be saying that. There was some applause for Zenith. He was a well-liked employee in Aether, and hard not to befriend. 

    “And finally, first prize, an all-expense paid trip for two to the Unova Region, plus a thousand dollar credit from the company, goes to… Doctor Ricardo Carillo!”

            Rico’s eyes lit up, as he heard his name. He would’ve been happy with the gift card, but first prize?

            There was applause for him from his co-workers, one of them patted him on the shoulder.

    “Hey! Congratulations doc!”

    “Who you bringing as your plus one!” Someone else asked, mostly jokingly.                

     “So that’s the results of this years Raffle!” Gladion said over the intercom, “So, could the winners please come down to my office to receive their prizes before the end of the day? Oh, and thank you to everyone for participating throughout the year, and good luck next year!”

 

           

            Rico waited until his lunch break to make his way down to Gladion’s office. It was sort of a waste, he could barely even focus on his work! The knowledge that he’d won seemed to distract him from everything else, as did the excitement of getting a vacation.

    “Hello, Rico!” Someone called as he tried to record his notes, shattering his concentration yet again, not that he minded. The intruder was none other than Colress, who greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

    “Congratulations on your victory. You’ve really earned it, you know.” He said,  
    “ _Grazie!_ ” Rico said, taking his hands, “It’s nice to actually win first for a change!”

    “Oh I’m sure!” Colress replied, “Which reminds me, who are you bringing with you?”

    “ _Caro…_ you need to ask?” He asked, with a smile, “You’d be first on my list.”

    “I thought so… although if you’ll recall, I’m already headed to Unova next week.” Colress noted, “Remember?”

            Rico raised an eyebrow. Colress had mentioned it before. He had some sort of family event going on. He’d already had his tickets booked.

    “ _Si…_ I suppose I do.” Rico said, “Well… perhaps I can arrange to take my own trip at the same time. You have been saying I should meet your family.”

    “Exactly what I was thinking.” Colress agreed, “Although, who would you bring with you?”

            Rico glanced at the cameras thoughtfully, before smiling.

    “A very good friend.” He said.

 

 

            In the security room, Florie should have been falling asleep. It’d been about 48, maybe fifty hours since she’d last slept. She’d received a sandwich from a (possible) benefactor that came from a fried Combusken restaurant, and she’d forgotten how old it was. There was a cup of coffee that was half empty by her side.

    “Missy Flo, your shift ended again.” A Rotom said from a nearby laptop that it inhabited, “Should I take over?”

     “No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Florie insisted,

     “If you say so… oh, and Jazz sent you an email. She’s upset because you didn’t sign out when you left last night… should I tell her you didn’t leave?”

     “No, it’s fine. Give her my usual sign out time.” Florie said, “Then sign me in at the usual time.”

     “So, one minute after you sign out?” Rotom sighed, before working on the email, “Should I also congratulate her on winning the lottery?”

    “Sure, tell her to enjoy the steak.” Florie said. She didn’t know why Jazz felt the need to email her. She could usually hear the bird screaming from next door. Helped her stay awake actually. She could even see them since a window was installed between their offices. It’d been that way since Jazz had destroyed the security cameras after deciding they were a threat and needed to be destroyed.

            The door to her office opened, and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Rico coming in to join her.

    “Congratulations.” She said, looking away from her cameras, “Heard you won the trip to Unova.” She cracked a smile, as Rico pulled up a seat beside her.

    “ _Si._ It’ll be a lovely trip.” He said,

    “You’re taking Colress, I imagine?”

    “Actually, that’s what I’m here to talk to you about.”

            He popped a breathmint into his mouth, sucking on it thoughtfully.

    “Colress is already going to Unova next week… He wants me to meet his family. I set up my trip, Wicke is taking care of the flight… but I need someone to go with me. I thought that maybe, you would be interested.”

    “Me?” Florie sat up, “Rico, I don’t have time! I’m too busy!”

    “ _Cavolo, signora!_ You work yourself too hard! When’s the last time you slept in your own bed? It’s not good for you to spend so much time at work! We live in Alola! Get out, see the sun! See the world!”

            Florie opened her mouth to protest, only for Rotom to interrupt her.

    “Missy Flo, you do need a break. We’re actually ahead on the workload.” Rotom noted, “I can cover for you for a little while.”

    “Well… vacation days, I don’t think I have any…” Florie murmured, only for Rotom to cut her off again.

    “You have exactly 37 vacation days saved up, as well as 7 uncashed paycheques, with a cumulative 280 hours of overtime, and counting.”

            Florie frowned.

    “I thought my pay was direct deposit?”

    “The system went a few months ago, after President Lusamine ripped holes in time and space. It’s up and running again… you don’t remember?”

    “I’ve been meaning to make a trip to the bank…” Florie murmured a little sheepishly.

    “You can afford a vacation.” Rico assured her, “Come now, _signora_! It’ll be fun, and Rotom will keep an eye on things! Won’t you?”

    “You got it!” The pokemon replied cheerfully, and Florie sighed in resignation.

    “Alright, alright. I’ll go with you. When’s the plane leave?”

            Rico grinned,

    “That’s the spirit! It’s all booked for Sunday morning!”

 

 

            The rest of the week passed fairly quickly. On the morning of departure, Rico called a cab for himself. Outside of his apartment building, he waited by a bench, a suitcase by his side, and his Shiinotic, Skittles nearby. He pampered the little pokemon, feeding it treats as they waited and singing quietly to it. The attention wasn’t wasted. The little pokemon flashed its lights and trilled in glee, like the spoiled little princess that it was.

    “Rico!” He looked up when he heard his name, and saw Florie coming towards him. Outside of her work attire, she looked almost unrecognizable, but nonetheless seeing her brought a smile to his face. A Comfey, Fae sat on her shoulder, its floral tail trailing behind her, although it regarded Rico suspiciously and tried to burrow into Florie’s hair as they drew nearer. Skittles immediately hopped from Rico’s side to greet her, beating even Rico to the punch.

    “See, one good nights sleep and a few hours out of the office, you already look refreshed.” He said.

    “It feels a little weird, getting out of the grind.” Florie admitted, “But it’s nice, I suppose.”

    “Trust me, it gets better. There’s a whole world outside your office.” Rico assured her, half teasingly. He spotted a Taxi headed down the street, and raised his hand, signaling to it and knowing it would stop anyways.

            Florie regarded the taxi a little warily, as Rico took her bags, putting them in the trunk. Fae hissed at Rico when he drew near, yet the man merely offered the pokemon a warm smile for its hostility.

            With the bags in the trunk, he got the door for Florie like a proper gentleman. Skittles flat out cut past the girl to go and get comfortable, although Florie didn’t much mind, she thanked Rico and took her seat, shifting to get comfortable. She found herself second guessing this trip. Maybe that was only natural, but it was hard not to.

 

 

            In the airport terminal, Rico sat waiting for their flight, a bottle of sugary lemonade in his hand. He’d gotten one for Florie as well, but she hadn’t touched it. On the contrary, she looked uneasy, and watched a nearby TV which showed a News program, where they were reporting on the recent destruction of a local steakhouse.

    “Everything alright?” Rico asked, and Florie jolted a little,

   “Oh! Fine! I’ve just never been in an airport before.” She admitted, “Or… well, left Alola at all.”

   “Ah, that would be a little unnerving, wouldn’t it?” Rico noted, offering a warm smile, “It’s alright! I hear Unova is wonderful. I think you’ll like it!”

    “Have you ever been?”

    “Unfortunately, no. It’s my first time too.” Rico admitted, “But we’ll have a whole week to explore the region! Don’t tell me you’re not at least a little excited.”

            Florie could say no such thing, and she managed a weak smile.

    “Well, I have been looking forward to it.” She admitted.

    “That’s the spirit then, _signora_!”

            A voice over the intercom announced that their flight was boarding, and Rico’s eyes lit up.

   “Ah, and that’s us!” He said, getting up, “Just breathe and relax. Oh, and take this.” He offered her a couple sticks of gum, “Chew them during takeoff and landing. They help when your ears pop.”

 

 

The flight wasn’t as frightening as Florie had expected it to be. It was pretty calming actually. She and Rico were seated beside each other, although he kindly gave her some space so as not to make the poor girl feel claustrophobic. They wound up watching the inflight movie together through the fairly long flight.

Landing in Mistralton City went smoothly as well. The city itself wasn’t particularly large. There were a few smaller planes, acting as connecting flights to Castelia, although Rico decided that Castelia could wait. Colress was supposed to be on a flight behind theirs, he reasoned it’d make more sense to meet up in Mistralton and fly to Castelia together.

They checked into a small motel for the evening, but there wasn’t much to do while they waited, save for a Pokemon Gym neither of them wanted to battle, a few minor tourist destinations and a couple of restaurants. Rico did however spot one that caught his eye. Just from the design, it was a pricier Italian style restaurant, but it looked nice, and the food was certainly worth the price.

Rico’s phone pinged, indicating an incoming email. He set his fork down, reaching out to grab it, mostly out of habit. Eager as he was to enjoy everything Unova had to offer, he still wasn’t fully in vacation mode just yet.

He read through the email, his eyes widening as he did.

    “ _Cavolo_!”

    “What’s wrong?” Florie asked,

    “Colress. He won’t be joining us.” Rico sighed, “Seems a bad thunderstorm has rolled in. His flights been delayed until better weather.”

    “Oh…” Florie frowned, before taking another bite of her dinner, “Well, that’s a shame.”

    “It is, but I suppose we can’t do anything about it.” Rico said, trying to shake off the disappointment, “Well… perhaps there’s a way to make the most of it.”

    “You have an idea?” Florie asked,

    “Of a kind. I think we’d be wasting our vacation days just sitting around waiting for Colress. The storm might not lift until tomorrow night. Even then, it’s a considerable flight he’s got anywho. So, why not skip the plane ride, and hike to Castelia?”

            Florie raised an eyebrow.

    “It’s a good idea, but what about the luggage?” She asked, “It’ll be a lot of hassle to carry it all the way.”

    “We can have our luggage sent ahead,” Rico said, waving a hand, “We’d hardly be the first to want to make the hike. Pokemon trainers make it all the time. Assuming we went straight there, I’m sure it’d take us no longer than a day. Two days if we enjoy the scenery.”

            Florie thought about it for a moment.

    “Well, if we don’t need to carry the luggage the whole way. It’ll be nice to let Fae out of her pokeball more too.”

    “That’s the spirit, _signora_.” Rico grinned, and picked up his wine glass, “To an exciting journey, then! It’ll be just like we’re Pokemon trainers!”

            That idea got a giggle from Florie. The idea of Rico dressed in the ‘Pokemon Trainer’ style popularized by that one Kanto trainer when she was a kid, was sort of amusing.

    “I’ll talk to the airline tomorrow about our luggage, and see if we can’t arrange it to be sent to a hotel, so we’ll have something waiting for us when we get there.”

    “That sounds nice.” She said, nodding slowly. The spark was back in Rico’s eye, and they clinked their glasses together, drinking to the lovely adventure that awaited them come morning.

 

 

            Dawn came quickly, and Rico greeted it well rested and in good spirits. A phone call to Colress confirmed that he was still in Alola, and Rico shared his plans with him, before going to see about sending their luggage over, after Colress confirmed one of his Family would pick up the luggage.

He bought a pair of backpacks at a nearby shop, one for himself and one for Florie. In it, he packed clean clothes, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, and some candies for the road. All the essentials, naturally. More than few candies were snatched and eaten by Skittles, who commanded attention over Rico’s packing.

There was a knock at his door, catching his attention as he prepared for the hike, and he heard Florie’s voice outside.

    “Rico, you awake?” She asked,

    “ _Si!_ The doors unlocked! I have something for you!” He called, and Florie entered, with Fae nestled comfortably on her shoulder. The pokemon hissed, an adorable sound, the moment it caught sight of Rico, and she reached up to pet and soothe it.

    “I bought us backpacks!” Rico said, holding up the empty one, “For supplies!”

    “Oh? Well, glad you thought of it too.” She said, “I was going to run down to the store and look for one.” She took it from him, and admired it with a smile, “Did you get some snacks for the road too?”

    “That and then some. A couple of sandwiches, granola, trail mix, chocolate, suckers, mints, two toothbrushes and toothpaste, some small shampoo, a multi tool and first aid!” He patted a pocket on his backpack, although there were some spare items left behind for Florie to carry. She surveyed them, before sorting them into her new backpack.

    “Looks good.” She said, “I guess I’ll be right back. Meet you at the checkout desk?”

    “Naturally!” Rico said, as she left.

            It only took him a few minutes to finish packing his backpack. What he didn’t need, stayed in his now much lighter suitcase. It took a few more minutes to pamper Skittles with poke-beans and candies, a gesture the pokemon was doubtless appreciative of.

            At last however, he vacated the room, leaving it cleaner than it’d been when he’d gone in, in the first place then made his way to the motels front desk to return his key. Florie didn’t keep him waiting long, following him closely to return her key as well. She had her suitcase rolling behind her, her backpack slung over her shoulder, and Fae nestled in a pocket, her head poking out, while some of her flower adorned tail trailed out behind her. She hissed at Rico in greeting, before hiding her head.

    “You look rested,” Rico said. He hadn’t gotten a good look at her in the sunlight before, but Florie did look a lot more relaxed than usual.

    “I slept well. Rotom’s looking after the cameras, so, I guess it’s just time to relax.” She admitted, “It’s kind of nice to just… step away from Aether for a little while. To leave it alone, and have it all waiting for me when I get back.”

    “Who are you and what have you done with Florie?” Rico teased, before pulling his luggage out of the motel’s front desk.

     “Nothing? I’m just relaxed, that’s all!” She assured him, as they made their way to the small terminal chartering flights to Castelia. It wasn’t expensive to have their luggage sent ahead, and within the hour they were both on their way out of Mistralton, and on their way on the road to Driftveil City.

 

 

    “Chargestone Cave…” Florie read off a sign. The trail so far had been fairly pleasant. The path was well worn, and clear. They’d even encountered a trainer who’d decided to take them on in a double battle. The combination of Rico’s Skittles and Florie’s Fae had taken down the self-proclaimed ‘edgy’ teenager who loved Dark types before he could actually land an attack.

    “Oh, I’ve heard of that!” Rico said, eyes lighting up, “They say the rocks have an electric charge to them! I was thinking, it might make for a nice souvenir!”

            He drew closer to the cave, with Skittles at his side, and cleaned his hands with sanitizer before approaching the entrance,

   “Come on!

    “You can feel the static in the air.” Florie noted as she followed him. Some of the rocks inside had a slight blue glow to them, and she drew closer to one as Rico took out his camera to take a few pictures. Skittles hopping cheerfully alongside him. Florie made a note of where he was, not wanting to risk getting lost in here, before reaching out to touch one of the glowing rocks. It was pleasantly warm to the touch.

    “Florie! Tynamo!” Rico called, his voice brimming with excitement, and she looked over at him,

    “What? Where?”

    “Behind you!”

            She turned and just barely saw the startled pokemon before it rushed over her head, brushing against her hair and startling her. Her hand went up to try and shoo it away, before the Tynamo fled into the darkness of the cave.

            It took her a moment to realize Rico was laughing hysterically and returning to her, camera in hand.

   “ _Dio mio_!”

   “What? It startled me!” Florie said defensively, but Rico shook his head, “Not that, _signora._ The static… your hair…”

            He showed her the picture he’d taken. His goal had been to get a picture of the Tynamo, but he’d only caught it fleeing… through Florie’s mostly upright hair.

            She flushed red and smoothed her hair down as Rico continued to giggle.

    “Delete that!”

    “Really? But it’s such a wonderful photo! We could show it to everyone back home… Zenith would like it!”

            She grabbed at his phone, and Rico held it up out of her reach, before backing off.

    “Alright, alright. I’m only teasing!” He showed her as he pretended to delete the photo, and she was unaware he’d already saved it elsewhere. He had no intention of showing it to anyone. But he was planning on framing it and giving it to her later on as a playful tease.

            Florie smoothed down her hair yet again, still a little red from embarrassment. She thought she looked better when her hair wasn’t completely upright. When Rico turned away, she snuck up on him to tousle his hair, letting the static keep it messed up as well, then hurried away to escape retaliation. Rico let out a small surprised noise, before laughing it off, and he swore he heard Florie laughing too. He truly did look like quite the sight, his hair and muttonchops both standing on end.

            Florie had run off towards the exit of the cave, and he saw her lingering nearby, close to a few other tourists, and watching him, waiting for him to come after her. He almost did, until he noticed something very unique.

            Near one of the glowing rocks, was another rock, this one small enough to fit in his hand, no bigger than a tangerine. But it was floating, kept aloft by the static and magnetism in the air. He studied it for a moment, before taking a picture/

    “Hey, you coming?” Florie asked.

    “ _Si!_ I found something!” he called, “Come here!”

            Florie quirked an eyebrow and went to join him, stopping when she saw the floating stone.

   “Wow… I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before.”

    “It’s unique to Chargestone!” Rico said proudly, rubbing some sanitizer on his hands, “The conditions need to be right for them to float, but they’re easy to replicate. It’s perfect!”

            He took the stone, admiring it for a moment. It was perfectly smooth.

    “It’s a hell of a souvenir.” Florie agreed, and Skittles chirped in agreement.

    “That it is.” Rico said, nodding as he left the spot where he’d found the stone, “Now then, I suppose its back to the road.”

            He and Florie made their way to the exit of the cave, and as soon as they were out, Florie hastily smoothed her hair down again, to guarantee none of it was still standing upright.

            Outside the cave, they were alone, and there was open trail in front of them. The sky was a brilliant blue.

   “Think it’d be a good time to stop for a quick lunch?” Florie asked, and Rico nodded in agreement, admiring his souvenir stone.

    “The perfect time.” Rico agreed, removing his backpack and setting the stone down as he rummaged through it for the carefully packed subs he’d gotten that morning. A perfect lunch for such an excursion.

            He offered one to Florie, along with some of his hand sanitizer, and she took it, almost failing to notice the small pink face peering out of the bushes behind Rico.

   “Rico! Look… I think that’s an Audino!”

            He glanced over his shoulder, as the Audino emerged from the bushes, wide eyed and curious. It studied Rico for a few moments, sizing him up, before drawing even closer.

    “Oh, hello there!” The man said, setting his sub back in the bag, before taking out a pokebean. Skittles, realizing what he intended to do with it, cried out in protest, causing the Audino to briefly recoil, before it decided that all was well, and continued to draw closer.

            Rico offered one pokebean to Skittles to placate her, and remind her she was still loved. He offered one to Florie and Fae as well, and while Fae seemed hesitant, she did reluctantly accept it.

            Seeing the two feeding the pokemon with them only encouraged the Audino to draw closer, and accept a pokebean offered by Rico.

    “Oh yes, you’re such a cute little Audiwozzy, yes you are!” The man hummed, slowly reaching out to pet it, making his intention very clear in case the pokemon decided it didn’t want to be touched. The Audino noticed him, and didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. It let him pet it, as it scarfed down the poke bean. Then, it stared at Rico’s stone.

            In one swift movement, the pokemon grabbed it, and took off, running to the edge of the trees, before looking back as Rico stood up abruptly.

    “Hey! Wait! That’s not food, that’s mine!”

            However the Audino didn’t understand. It panicked, and ran, disappearing into the trees, and with barely a further thought, Rico pursued it. With Florie right behind him.

            The Audino ducked under familiar underbrush, hurrying to evade its pursuers. It was little more than a sound and the occasional brief glimpse of pink ahead of Rico, before he followed it into a clearing.

            The Audino had dropped down to all fours, to try and run, the stone still clutched in its hand. It might have made it across the clearing, had something else not had its eye on it.

            A Liepard dashed across the clearing, catching the Audino by surprise and tackled it, attempting to go for a fatal bite to the throat. The Audino was tougher than that, denying it the chance, and opted for a struggle instead, crying out in pain from the claws and teeth that assaulted it.

            The Liepard’s eyes fixated on Rico and Florie, nearby, daring them to challenge it for its dinner. Rico took it up on that challenge.

    “Skittles, use Moonblast!” He commanded, and he heard Florie at his side,

    “Fae, play rough!”

            The Liepard saw Skittles Moonblast coming, but it hesitated to abandon its prey. That hesitation cost it when it finally did decide to move. It wasn’t fast enough. The predator’s back half was struck by the Shiinotic’s attack, causing it to stumble clumsily in its effort to evade, and leaving it wide open for Fae, who lashed it with her tail.

            The Liepard hissed, and tried to claw at Fae, but the fairy pokemon was too small a target. It danced out of its reach, retaliating against the predator for its efforts, and keeping it nice and distracted for Skittles to line up another Moonblast.

            The second impact knocked the Liepard off its feet, and the pokemon decided at that point, that it had lost. Shaken and defeated, the wild Liepard fled back into the trees, shooting a toxic glare back at Rico and Florie, silently cursing them for cheating it out of dinner.

            In the meanwhile, the Audino had gotten to its feet. It was no worse for the wear, save for a few minor scratches that would heal easily. It still held the rock, and stared thoughtfully at Rico. He didn’t approach it, instead crouching down to try and seem inviting.

    “Hey there, little one! Are you okay?”

            The Audino just stared.

    “That’s good,” Rico said, “You must’ve thought that was a berry, _si_? Then got startled when I yelled. I’m sorry I yelled. But I’d like my rock back, please!”

            He extended a hand, and the Audino only continued to stare at him. It turned the rock over in its paws, stubby digits examining the smooth surface and coming to the conclusion that this was inedible. Slowly, it shuffled forward, and put the rock in Rico’s waiting hand, before pausing to look at him, as if asking for a reward.

The man chuckled, and quickly pocketed the rock before taking out a few more poke beans. He fed Skittles first, else she’d get jealous, and the Audino second. The pokemon recoiled a little after he gave it some food, nibbling cautiously on it, and meeting his eyes, before backing off and disappearing into the trees.

    “Well, at least you got your rock back!” Florie noted, as Fae greedily munched on her poke bean.

   “ _Si._ I’m rather glad I chased that Audino too. We kept it off the menu.”

            Florie nodded in agreement, before unwrapping the sandwich she’d kept a death grip on up until now. Out of force of habit, she checked to make sure there were no unusual ingredients. A habit she’d picked up after someone who had only a vague understanding of what belonged in a sandwich decided to start packing her lunches.

Rico found his own, and they enjoyed their lunch together in that clearing. Rico noticed movement in the trees, and spotted the Liepard lurking nearby, studying them. Fae seemed to notice it as well, and was staring right at it. It knew better than to attack. It’d been beaten the first time and was clearly outnumbered, but it was curious.

            Before they left, Rico left a few poke beans behind, and when they were out of the clearing, he looked back and saw the Liepard emerge, snatch them up, and run off again.

 

 

            A short while down the road, crossing over a stream, Fae started growling again, and looking over Florie’s shoulder.

    “What’s wrong?” The woman asked, stroking the small pokemon, which was looking over at some bushes. Rico turned to follow its gaze, and swore he saw a faint pink outline behind the bushes, and a pair of sweet blue eyes watching them.

     “Looks like we’ve made a friend.” He chuckled, as the Audino realized it’d been discovered, and vanished to find another vantage point.

     “It probably just thinks we’re going to feed it again.” Florie noted, “We should keep moving. It’s getting late and Driftveils close!”

    “ _Si, si!_ ” Rico said, looking at where the Audino had been once again, before turning to keep walking.

 

            They’d reached Driftveil City by late evening, and both of them were not only exhausted, but fairly hungry at that. It’d been a long hike, but an enjoyable one. Rico looked more than a little run down. He wasn’t as young as he used to be, and though he kept himself in good shape, his candies were working against him. Florie’s work centric lifestyle hadn’t done her any favors either. The two of them exchanged a look. They were both sweaty, tired and grinning.

            Florie started giggling first, at the sight of poor Rico, ever the handsome advocate of cleanliness, looking just the tiniest bit disheveled and with only a little bit of dirt on his clothes. Rico looked at her for a moment, before joining in. For a few moments, the two of them stood on the road into Driftveil, giggling like two fools.

            They found a local restaurant for dinner, and Rico emailed Colress to check up on him. Colress replied fairly quickly with confirmation that the weather had cleared and he’d be in the air soon, and would meet them in Castelia the next evening.

            As Florie went to check them into a hotel for the evening, Rico explored a small information booth for tourists. Driftveil had little in the way of attractions, but across the bridge was Nimbasa City, which had an amusement park, and was only a short road away from Castelia City. He collected a few small brochures to show to Florie. There wasn’t as much hiking to be done the next day, so he reasoned they could take some time and enjoy Nimbasa City.

            As he stepped out of the booth, Rico noticed something a short distance away. The Audino stood in the streets of Driftveil, receiving only brief looks from passersby. It stared at Rico, before slowly drawing closer. In its hands, he could see it was holding something. It was holding berries, and offering them out to him.

     “Oh, are these for me?” Rico asked, with a smile, as the Audino lightly pushed the berries forward, urging Rico to take them. He crouched down, and took one from its hand. Judging by the quality, it wasn’t a wild one. The Audino had likely stolen them from a locals garden, but there was no one around to notice, so Rico cleaned it off, and ate it. Whoever had grown it had done an excellent job, and the Audino chirped in delight. Skittles let out a dissatisfied squeal, demanding some berries as well, and the Audino offered some to it as well, placating the spoiled pokemon.

     “You really are a sweet one, aren’t you?” Rico asked it, petting the Audino with one hand, and Skittles with the other, “Don’t linger too long, okay? I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble!”

            The Audino purred cheerfully, and watched as Rico stood up again, heading towards the hotel, ready to turn in for the evening. He saw the Audino following him from the corner of his eye. It stopped before he reached the hotel, and stood in the street, watching before wandering off.

            Rico waved goodbye to it, before finding Florie.

    “I see you’ve made a new friend.” She said, having seen the Audino from where she’d been standing.

    “Can never have too many,” Rico replied with a smile, as Florie handed him a key to his room, and made her way to the elevator.

    “I guess not. But if it crawls into your bed and kicks you out, you can’t have mine.”

   “Oh Signora… you wound me.” Rico said playfully, and chuckled before making his way to the elevator, “Well, I’m sure the Audino will be happy to share.”

 

 

            Come morning, Ricardo and Florie enjoyed a breakfast buffet in the hotel. Both of them looked refreshed and relaxed. A warm bed, after a long hike had melted all the stress away. Fae was even tolerating Rico’s presence at the breakfast table, as she nibbled on some poke puffs. They checked out after breakfast, with their backpacks ready and their stomachs full.

            Not three steps out of the hotel, stood the Audino. Rico could see it standing across the street as he left, and it cheerfully ran up to him. Skittles left his side to greet it like an old friend, and the Audino reached down to pet the pokemon, and feed it one of the berries it held. New ones from the night before.

    “Good morning to you too!” Rico said cheerfully, “You like following us around, don’t you?”

            The Audino offered the berries up to him as if to say ‘yes,’ and Rico accepted one, as did Florie and Fae. They served as a nice dessert to their already exceptional breakfast.

    “Well, you can follow us further, if you’d like.” He offered, “Florie, you don’t mind another friend on our trip, do you?”

     “I don’t think they’ll take no for an answer.” She said, although she didn’t look like she minded. She rather liked the extra company.

    “Then I guess you’re with us, then.” Rico said, standing up. He headed towards the drawbridge out of the city, and Florie followed him. The Audino stood there for a moment, staring at them, before Rico turned back to look at it.

    “Well, aren’t you coming, little one?” He asked, and the pokemon bounded after him and kept stride.

            The drawbridge to Nimbasa wasn’t too crowded at that time of morning, allowing for a leisurely walk across it.

    “You can see Castelia from here.” Florie said, approaching the railing, and pointing to the skyline in the distance.

    “So you can…” Rico said thoughtfully, “Less than a days walk, I’d imagine.”

            The Audino chirped in response, as Rico readied his camera to take a picture. He paused, smiled, and turned to Florie.

    “Actually, let’s see if we can get a shot with all of us, hmm? Make another good memory!”

            Florie nodded in agreement, as Rico spotted a passerby, a large man in a cowboy hat.

    “ _Scusa_!” He called, gesturing the man over, “Would you mind taking a picture of us!”

            The man in the cowboy hat offered a small grin.

    “Not at all.” He said, as Rico offered him the camera, “Now, y’all get in close… I reckon yer gonna wanna see the city…”

            He focused the camera thoughtfully, before snapping a few shots of Rico and Florie, with Skittles and Fae hanging off them, and the Audino between them, against the backdrop of blue waters and the city skyline.

    “There ya go…” The man said, offering Rico’ camera back.

    “ _Grazie_!” Rico said, and the man tipped his hat before turning to leave, heading back into Driftveil.

 

            Nimbasa was a lot livelier than Driftveil had been. There were shows to see, an amusement park and plenty of other excitements. More than could be done in a day. Rico already knew they’d need to return with Colress, to experience the full plethora of wonders… but for now?

     “What to go on first…” Rico said thoughtfully, edging towards the carnival, and looking at Florie,

    “Could I convince you to give the Ferris wheel a go, _Signora_?” He asked, offering a fairly innocent smile.

    “I suppose.” Florie replied, with no hesitation in her voice, drawing closer to the Ferris wheel in question, “Let’s go!”

            The Ferris wheel allowed Pokemon to ride for free, and so Fae sat comfortably on Florie’s shoulder, while Skittles remained nestled in Rico’s backpack. The Audino stood contentedly between them as they boarded the Ferris wheel, although seemed to briefly panic when the ride started moving. Seeing everyone else was calm though, it calmed down quickly, and peeked out through the windows, admiring the view as the wheel lifted them up higher and higher, taking them around and around. The view was outstanding, and at the apex of the ride, they could see Castelia City.

            They were quiet as they rode, taking in the sight around them. They could see boats headed into Castelia, and planes coming down as well. Rico stared at the boats and the planes, and felt the Audino leaning against him, comfortable in his presence. He reached down to pet the Pokemon, and it eagerly pressed against his hand, enjoying the sensation of being petted and treated with real affection.

            Florie stared at the distant city, and her eyes crossed Driftveil bridge, and studied the route they’d traveled the day before. It looked so small, compared to the rest of the Unova region. She could see a large building in Nimbasa City, and squinted to try and get a better look at it.

            Battle Subway… she’d heard of that before.

    “Look at this view.” Rico said, dreamily, “I could stay up here for a while.” He thought about Colress as he looked at one of the boats on the water, before glancing at Florie and smiling.

    “It’s peaceful.” She agreed, “It’s been a while since I’ve been so relaxed.” She looked at Rico, still smiling, “Thanks for bringing me… I think I needed this. I really do.”

            She left the window, and pulled him into a brief, but sincere hug. Fae shrank back from Rico, but not by much.

            The Audino regarded them with a pleasant look, and let out a cheerful chirp, earning itself a pat on the head from both Florie and Rico.

 

 

            The ride had to end eventually, and as they dismounted the ferris wheel, and looked for something else to ride, Florie spotted a woman passing by. She was tall with long dark hair, in a pair of thin braids, and a unique sense of fashion, to say the least.

            A few parkgoers paused for a picture of the woman, although her eyes settled on Rico, Florie and the Audino. She smiled knowingly, and approached them.

    “Well, well… It’s been a while since I’ve seen you around here.” She said, stopping in front of them, “Made some new friends, have you?”

    “I’m sorry, but… have we met?” Rico asked, before the woman crouched down, making it clear she wasn’t addressing either him, or Florie, but the Audino.

    “No.” The woman said, “I’m sorry. I should introduce myself. I’m Elesa. I’m the gym leader in Nimbasa City, and this little troublemaker… likes to steal berries from my Grandmother’s garden.”

            She reached out to pet the Audino, which all too eagerly accepted the affection.

    “Oh! Is your Grandmother from Driftveil?” Rico asked a little sheepishly, and Elesa nodded, before smiling.

    “Don’t worry, they’re just berries. Grandmother lets her take them. She grows them for trainers, but she doesn’t mind it when the wild pokemon come for them too. This little one likes to share, don’t you?”

            The Audino chirped happily in response.

    “She started following us yesterday.” Florie asked, “We chased off a Liepard that went after her.”

    “Did you?” Elesa asked, “Well, that was certainly kind of you. I can tell she appreciates it. Don’t you, sweetie?”

            Again, the Audino chirped.

    “Well, let me say thank you, then. Grandma would miss her if anything happened to her… how about I treat you both to lunch?

    “Oh, that would be nice!” Florie said, “I’d appreciate that.” She looked at Rico for agreement, and found it.

    “That would be lovely!” Rico said, and Elesa grinned.

    “I know a place downtown! Why don’t you come with me?” She gestured for them to follow her, and waved to a few onlookers who wanted photos of the gym leader.

            Elesa led them to a small café in the theme park. It barely seemed to fit her extravagant style.

    “I come here fairly often.” She admitted, “It’s a nice little way of keeping myself grounded, remind myself what’s important.”

            An elderly waiter took them to a table on the patio, and set a breadbasket down between them, along with some snacks for Skittles, Fae and the Audino.

    “It’s a lovely place!” Rico said, and the gym leader nodded in agreement.

    “It really is. You know, I’ve never seen that Audino take such a shine to anyone before…” She stared thoughtfully at it as it shared the food with Fae and Skittles. The three pokemon seemed to get along so well, despite only having known each other for a short while.

    “Well, I have a way with pokemon.” Rico admitted,

    “We work for the Aether Foundation, helping with conservation.” Florie added, “We’re around them quite often.”

    “Aether, huh? I’ve heard mixed things, but you sound like you’ve got good intentions, but poor leadership.”

    “They’ve addressed the issue.” Florie assured her, and Elesa nodded, before taking a warm bread roll, breaking it and dipping it in some of the provided olive oil and balsamic.

   “That’s good… have you thought about trying to catch that Audino?”

            Rico looked down at it. He’d already started to forget that it was a wild pokemon. It seemed so friendly and tame… and honestly, he hadn’t thought about it at all!

    “Well, I don’t have any poke-balls…” He said a little sheepishly.

    “You can just buy them at any store.” Florie said,

    “I can even give you one!” Elesa said, reaching into her purse and taking out a luxury ball.

    “I think you should give it a go… I think it’ll like being with you.”

            The Audino looked up, staring at the luxury ball thoughtfully, before understanding what was being suggested. Rico exchanged a look with it, and he swore that the Audino was smiling.

    “Why don’t you give it a try?” Elesa suggested, “What could go wrong?”

            Rico took the luxury ball, and the Audino got up with him, staring at him and still smiling as he looked at it.

            The Audino knew what this was. She knew what he was about to do, and she seemed… content with it, eager even.

            Finally, Rico smiled back, and tossed the pokeball. It landed next to the Audino, and pulled it inside. The pokemon never once stopped looking at him, before it disappeared.

            The ball didn’t twitch. There was no struggle. It locked after a few moments, and Rico picked it up, looking at the smooth black surface of the luxury pokeball.

    “I guess you’re with me now.” He said softly, before tossing the ball, and releasing the Audino. She let out a cry of delight as she was freed, and ran towards Rico, nuzzling up against him.

            Elesa and Florie both smiled at the sight of Rico’s official new friend, and Skittles left her food, the significance of what had just happened, not having escaped her, and all too happily greeted the newest member of their growing family.

            Rico couldn’t remember ever having a better lunch.   

 

 

            Elesa covered the tab at the café, and walked them outside, where she crouched down in front of the Audino one last time.

    “I guess you’re off to the Alola region, huh?” She asked, and the Audino chirped happily in response.

    “Well… you’ll be happy there. I can tell these two will take good care of you!” She petted the pokemon one final time, before standing up to leave, “I’ll tell Grandma that you said hello! Oh, and don’t steal too much from Doctor Carillo and Florie here.” She smiled knowingly as the Audino chirped after her.

    “I promise, I will take excellent care of this sweet little one.” Rico crooned,

    “I’ll make sure he does.” Florie added, half jokingly, “Thank you for lunch, Elesa.”

    “My pleasure. I’ll see you soon, hopefully. Maybe if you’re in town for a while, you’ll stop in for a battle. I’d love to see how you handle yourselves in a pokemon battle. Until then, take care!”

            She waved goodbye as she made her way back to the gym, and the Audino raised a paw to wave back, before looking up at Rico, eager to see where they’d go next.

 

            Rico and Florie enjoyed a few more rides in Nimbasa, before making their way to Castelia. The road between the cities was nicely developed, making it less of a hike than it’d been between Mistralton and Driftveil.

            Castelia city loomed ahead as the day faded into evening, bigger and brighter than anything either of them had seen before. The Audino, with Skittles at her side, both admired the lights as they drew closer, and Florie paused for a moment, a little overwhelmed by it all. The city itself dwarfed the Alolan cities she was used to.

            As they passed through the gate, Rico spotted a familiar blue curl of hair, and a lanky man.

    “Rico!” Colress called, approaching him with open arms. He greeted him with a tight hug, and a kiss on the cheek, “Good to see you finally made it! Oh, and Florie! You look good!”

            He pulled away from Rico to greet her as well, before finally glancing at their new companion.

    “New friend?” He asked, crouching down in front of it.

    “ _Si!_ ” I’ve yet to come up with a name for her, but she’s adorable, isn’t she? Yes you are, sweet one… My sweet little Auddiewoddy!” His pet names inspired affection as the pokemon hugged his legs, trilling affectionately.

   “Well you’ve certainly made an impression!” Colress said, “My Family’s made dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant, we were hoping you’d be here in time to join us!”

    “Oh? Well, I’d be honored!” Rico said, and Florie nodded in agreement,

    “It’s been a long trip.” She noted, although she was still a little full from lunch. But she wouldn’t turn this down.

   “They’re looking forward to meeting you both!” Colress said, gesturing for them to follow, and they did

 

 

            Colress’ family was nothing but welcoming. They talked to both Rico and Florie as if they’d known them for years, and they certainly took to Rico quickly. The evening stretched on, filled with wine, laughter and new friends.

            By the end of it, on their way back to Colress’ brothers apartment, where their luggage and warm beds were waiting for them, Rico, Florie and Colress walked alongside the waterfront, all a little tipsy, but content.

            Florie saw it first, a flash of light in the sky, and stopped to look at it. The fireworks came from across the water, and lit up the night sky.

   “Looks like there’s something going on…” Rico said quietly, smiling as he looked up at the stunning lights up above.

            The Audino at his side only looked up in silence, still smiling as cheerfully as it had when it’d been captured earlier today. It reached up with both hands, grabbing Rico’s hand with one, and Florie’s with the other, as it admired the lights in the sky.

            That became another memory to treasure.

 

 

            The week had been a busy, but wonderful one. They’d visited the sights of Castelia together with Colress. He’d shown them around the places where he’d used to live, and the wonderful restaurants, shows and things to see and do that came with them.

            Of course they returned to Nimbasa, if only to see how well Colress could fare on a roller coaster, and when she wasn’t looking, Rico showed him the picture of Florie in Chargestone Cave… they both agreed it was cute.

            As the week came to an end however, Rico and Florie prepared for their return to Alola. They opted to take a boat back to Mistralton, as opposed to hiking back. Colress didn’t join them. He had things to do with his family, so he chose to stay behind another week, although his Family tried to convince Rico to stay with him.

            The flight back home was nicer than the flight in. Rico had Skittles and the Audino tucked safely into their poke balls, and watched the in flight movie, while Florie attempted to read, and wound up dozing off and falling asleep on his shoulder. He noticed that she looked more vibrant than before, like some time off work had done her some good. He certainly felt better than he had in years. This trip had completely energized him! He felt like he could take on the world!

 

 

            On the first day back to Aether Paradise, Rico and Florie rode the boat in together. The two had a certain glow to them, a certain air of health that seemed just a little unfamiliar, but certainly welcome.

            Rico had a Luxury ball on his waist, with a new friend inside, and Florie wore a stone that looked an awful lot like a berry around her neck. Rico had run a string through it, making it into a nice necklace.

            Plenty of their co-workers all too enthusiastically greeted them upon their return, and like the proper gentleman he was, Rico walked Florie to her office.

    “Feels weird, being back.” She noted, “But I feel refreshed.”

    “Perhaps we’ll need to do something like this again…” Rico said, “Kalos next time, perhaps?”

    “I’m sure we can scrounge up the money.” Florie said, “Thank you, Rico.” She kissed him chastely on the cheek, before opening the door to her office.

    “Rotom!” She called, “I’m back!”

            There was no response. Rotom was there, in its computer, clearly asleep. But even then… lines of text appeared on a report. The spelling was a little messy, but despite being asleep, Rotom was still clearly working.

            Florie frowned before drawing closer. Aside from a few untouched brown paper bags, which were filled with barely touched pokemon food instead of their usual abominable sandwiches, the office was exactly as she left it.

   “Rotom?” Florie asked, and the pokemon jolted awake.

   “Oh! Erm…Missy Flo! Heh… you’re back already? But… it’s only been a day or so, hasn’t it?”

    “It’s been a week, Rotom… were you just sleepworking?”

   “I get a lot done that way!” Rotom insisted, “See, I’m fine! Really!”

            Rotom did not look fine.

            Florie sighed, while Rico tried his best not to giggle.

    “Rotom, you really need to take a break.”  
  
  


 


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